1960s Retro Gifts: Toys, Records And Party Kit

Action Man, Sindy and Scalextric, Beatles and Motown 45s, and a party that needs little more than a record player.

Someone turning 60 to 70 now grew up in this decade. This is the buying guide: what is worth getting, what is only worth getting if it is the real one, and how to put it all in a box without spending a fortune.

Straight answer first: we don't sell retro toys or records. We draw and print cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers in the UK, and we stock party decorations. Everything else below is advice on where the genuine items come from.

Years covered in the 1960s

• 1960 - Coronation Street began, national service ended and the sixties had not started yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1960
• 1961 - The Beatles started playing the Cavern and Yuri Gagarin went into space. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1961
• 1962 - Love Me Do, the first James Bond film and the Cuban missile crisis. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1962
• 1963 - The big freeze, Beatlemania, Doctor Who and the assassination of President Kennedy. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1963
• 1964 - Top of the Pops, pirate radio, mods and rockers, and BBC Two. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1964
• 1965 - Churchill's funeral, the 70mph limit and the Beatles at Shea Stadium. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1965
• 1966 - England won the World Cup, and then Aberfan happened in October. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1966
• 1967 - Sgt. Pepper, Radio 1, colour television and the summer of love. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1967
• 1968 - Manchester United in Europe, Dad's Army and a year of protest. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1968
• 1969 - The moon landing, the Beatles on the roof and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1969
• That is every 1960s year we have written up so far: 1960 to 1969.

Best 1960s retro toys

• Action Man from 1966 - the early painted-head figures are the ones collectors want.
• Sindy from 1963, Barbie imports, and Tressy with the hair that grew.
• Scalextric, Corgi cars and the Corgi James Bond Aston Martin from 1965.
• Spirograph, Etch A Sketch, Kerplunk, Twister and Mouse Trap.
• Thunderbirds, Doctor Who and Dalek toys - television merchandise really begins here.
• Chopper bikes only arrive in 1969, so they belong more to the seventies.

1960s records worth buying

• 7 inch 45s are the decade's format, cheap and easy to find in charity shops.
• The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who, the Beach Boys.
• Motown and soul: the Supremes, the Four Tops, Otis Redding, Dusty Springfield.
• Late decade albums matter as objects too - Sgt Pepper for the sleeve as much as the music.
• Original UK pressings are worth more than reissues, but a scratched copy they actually recognise beats a mint copy they do not.

1960s party kit

• Colours: orange, lime, white and black-and-white op-art patterns.
• Food: cheese and pineapple on sticks, vol-au-vents, sausage rolls, a Black Forest gateau.
• Music: Motown for the dancing, Beatles for the singing.
• Props: a record player, a lava lamp, a stack of LPs on the sideboard.
• Games: name that tune, a 60s guess the year round, charades.

Build a 1960s hamper

• Retro sweets: Spangles are gone, but sherbet lemons, Fruit Salads and Refreshers are still made.
• A song lyric print from the year they turned eighteen.
• A milestone card that names the year.
• A printed decade quiz for the table.

How to buy retro without being ripped off

• Boxed doubles or triples the price. Unless they collect, buy loose and spend the difference on something else.
• Reissues are fine for toys and games. They are not fine for records - the whole point is the pressing they owned.
• Charity shops, car boots and eBay beat any retro gift website for genuine items, and the search is half the present.
• Check the year, not the decade. A lot of what people file under one decade actually arrived in the next.
• Pair one proper item with three cheap nostalgic bits. The cheap bits get the reaction; the one proper item gets kept.

Shop prints and posters

Milestone birthday cards

Blank inside, kraft envelope, printed in the UK.

Decorations for a decade party

Banners, balloons, cake toppers and confetti, plain enough to take any era theme.

Pin badges and stickers

Cheap, small and genuinely kept - good hamper filler and party favours.

How to write it so it lands

• Buy for the year they turned eighteen, not the year they were born.
• One real item plus three cheap nostalgic bits makes a better hamper than one expensive present.
• Print the look back page for their year and put it in the box - it costs nothing and people read it all night.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1960
• Look back to 1961
• Look back to 1962
• Look back to 1963
• Look back to 1964
• Look back to 1965
• Look back to 1966
• Look back to 1967
• Look back to 1968
• Look back to 1969
• 1960s party playlist
• 1960s trivia: fun facts
• 1960s calendar: year by year
• 1960s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1960s shopping guide: clothes, books, music and tech
• Decade shopping guides by era
• Decade fashion guides by era
• 1960s holidays and travel
• Decade travel guides by era
• 1950s retro gift guide
• 1970s retro gift guide
• 1980s retro gift guide
• 1990s retro gift guide
• 2000s retro gift guide
• Look back to the 1960s
• Playground games by region
• School dinners we all remember
• Marbles rules
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Retro party playlist by decade
• Guess the year quiz
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Milestone birthday cards
• Posters and prints
• Enamel pin badges
• Party supplies
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Good luck cards
• Sympathy and bereavement cards
• Sympathy cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the best 1960s retro toys to buy as a gift?

Action Man, Sindy, Scalextric, Spirograph and a Corgi Aston Martin are the ones people light up at. Charity shops and eBay are where the real ones are; boxed examples cost a lot more than loose ones.

Which 1960s records make a good present?

A 7 inch single from the week they were born or the year they turned eighteen. It costs a few pounds, it is personal, and it frames well even if they never play it.

Do you sell 1960s toys or records?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers, and we stock party decorations. For the toys and records, charity shops, car boots, eBay and independent record shops are the honest answer.

How do I pick the right decade for a birthday?

Work from the year they turned thirteen to the year they turned twenty-five, not the year they were born. That window is the one they actually remember.